Yachting- refers to the practice of celebrities, often
female entertainers, accepting invitations to
go on lavish Yachts provided by wealthy
individuals such as billionaires or industry
executives.
These invitations may come with the promise of a substantial sum of money, other incentives, or whatever might have been negotiated, and of course a lavish cruise on a yacht.
Conrad Empson, 29 from Southampton, starred in Season 3 of Below Deck Mediterranean says a lot of problems stem from yachting's "secretive" nature. He says many vessels are owned by rich individuals and "everything is kept very private." "You have some crew that aren't allowed to post on social media or aren't allowed to tell anyone where they are until they've left," he says. "So the nature of everything on board is to keep everything very private."
Dark Yachting- the implicit expectation or explicit
arrangement that the women (or men)
that agree to go onto the yacht will sleep
with the VIP invited onto the yacht.
There is good reason for secrecy, said an anonymous captain: normal laws often do not seem to apply on these floating palaces . He said deep cleaning to remove traces of drugs such as cocaine can be a regular requirement, particularly when moving from one European territory to another where customs officials can insist on spot checks.
This system thrives on the unspoken and implicit understanding between all parties involved.
“Endurance and resilience are highly valued traits for most roles in the yachting industry. So it’s not uncommon to hear statements like, “If you can’t handle the pressure, it’s not the right industry for you” or variations such as, “Just move on” or “Toughen up”. A toxic onboard seafaring culture featuring the normalization of alcohol use and “work hard, play hard” mentality creates an environment where crew members lack psychological safety.
Gender inequality also exacerbates the problem, with women underrepresented in senior roles, contributing to a male-dominated industry where some crew members in power misuse their authority. Perpetrators may hide behind the excuse of alcohol misuse, further compounding the issue. To top it off, the transient nature of the industry and varying legal jurisdictions make addressing and reporting such incidents even more challenging.
The industry is “very sexist and ageist and racist”. He suggested non-white crew or those from poorer countries have little chance of being hired, and female staff are usually required to send full-length profile photos to prospective employers.
There is low crew retention rates and ongoing dissatisfaction. A staggering 75% of crew members believe the industry isn’t doing enough to deal with mental health problems and look after the well-being of crew; 70% believe there is no support in place for crew members who need mental healthcare. This lack of stability and trust can be a significant root cause of harassment and abuse in the yachting industry. Without a supportive environment where crew can speak up without fear of punishment or losing their jobs, bad behavior can thrive. When leadership (implicitly) discourages reporting issues, misconduct such as harassment and sexual assault often goes unaddressed. Unclear/absent reporting structures and the lack of mandatory guidelines for smaller vessels, create an environment where victims feel they have no recourse. When offenses are met with silence and inaction, there is minimal (if any) deterrence. This allows abusers to continue their actions without consequence.
Leah says she's had very positive experiences on the majority of boats she's worked on. But she says crew can sometimes be scared to speak up as they are worried about losing their jobs. "One of the first ever boats I worked on, the captain on there was just an absolute creep and ended up actually walking in on me in the shower," says Leah. Crew are usually expected to raise complaints with a person of higher rank, but Leah says there was no-one above the captain. She ended up leaving the boat and, according to others in the yachting industry, her experience wasn't uncommon.
Jenny Matthews, 34, is a chief officer who set up She of the Sea - a community for women working in yachting. She says the organization receives "frequent" reports, ranging from "micro-aggressions" against crew, all the way up to full-blown assaults and rapes. "We've had appalling incidents of cameras being set up in boats where they shouldn't be, drugging of crew by other crew members and even a sex trafficking ring that got exposed last year," says Jenny. She says that experiences can vary, and some vessels "really prioritize" safeguarding and protecting crew members. But she says there's "another end of the spectrum where it is absolutely appalling."
This abuse is not the exception, but the rule:
Among the calls received in 2022 by the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network’s Yacht Crew Helpline, “sexual abuse and harassment — many severe rape cases — accounted for 5.02% of total cases,” according to Georgia Allen, ISWAN projects and relationships manager.
And in an anonymous poll posted on the Palma Yacht Crew Facebook group in January, more than 40% of survey respondents said they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by another crew member.
Nautilus International reported in a 2023 article that reports of abuse, bullying, harassment, and discrimination (ABHD) among seafarers have seen a significant rise in early 2023.
On ISWAN’s Yacht Crew Help helpline, reports of abuse, bullying, harassment, and discrimination surged by 125% quarter-on-quarter, underscoring a significant issue within the superyacht industry that needs urgent attention.
Data from the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) reveal a nearly 50% increase in ABHD cases in Q1 2023 compared to the previous quarter.
Nautilus International’s 24/7 helpline saw a 33% rise in ABHD-related calls during the same period,
particularly from yacht crew members, who accounted for 75% of such reports.
Most cases reported to ISWAN helplines involved abusive or bullying behavior by senior officers, with 19% of cases related to sexual abuse or harassment.
In their article ‘Addressing Seafarers’ Vulnerability to Sexual Crimes at Sea and Lack of Accountability in the Industry’, Human Rights at Sea International (HRaSi) explains: “Justice in all sexual violence cases is hard to come by.
Less than 2 in 100 cases of rape on land reported to the UK police in 2022 resulted in a charge.
Charging rates around the world are similarly poor.
This means that if a person is raped on land in the UK, there is less than a 2% chance that the perpetrator will be charged. If a person is raped at sea, that rate decreases close to zero.”
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